The invention discloses a method for self-defining startup and shutdown interfaces. The method is used for the technical field of mobile terminals and comprises the following steps: when startups and shutdowns are carried out; reading startup and shutdown interface configuration parameters in a storage, and reading image or animation data in the storage according to the configuration parameters, wherein the image or animation data are encoded and decoded into picture data and stored in the storage in a chain-table mode; displaying the picture data. The invention further provides a mobile terminal capable of self-defining the startup and shutdown interfaces. A user can define the startup and shutdown images or animations, the user experience degree is improved, and the competitiveness of the mobile terminal is effectively improved. In addition, due to the fact that the images or animations required to be displayed are stored in a storage area in the chain-table mode, dynamic image loading can be achieved, the requirement for infinite customization of the user is met, and the self-defined capacity is further improved.